Los Angeles, California — The latest adaptation of Wuthering Heights, featuring Jacob Elordi and Margot Robbie, has debuted impressively at the global box office, amassing $76.8 million (or £56 million, A$108 million) over its opening weekend. Directed by Emerald Fennell, this innovative take on Emily Brontë’s classic novel has emerged as the top film opening of the year, drawing substantial interest from audiences.
In North America, the film pulled in $34.8 million from 3,682 theaters, slightly below previous projections of $40 million to $50 million for the weekend. However, film studio Warner Bros. anticipates that total revenues could reach $40 million by the end of the extended President’s Day weekend. Internationally, the film surpassed expectations, earning $42 million across 76 territories, suggesting a more diverse demographic is engaging with this romantic drama compared to its North American audience, where polling indicated that 76% of ticket buyers were women.
The film’s strong performance was particularly notable in Australia, where it secured $6.07 million (US$4.3 million) during its first weekend, attributed to the star power of Robbie and Elordi, both of whom hail from the region. With an expected global total potentially reaching $82 million during the long weekend, Wuthering Heights appears poised to break even on its reportedly $80 million production budget, not factoring in its marketing and promotional expenses. The film has further release dates set for Japan and Vietnam on February 27 and China on March 13.
Amid the backdrop of a competitive entertainment landscape, Warner Bros. celebrated its ninth consecutive No. 1 opening, following a successful lineup that included titles like Minecraft Movie and Final Destination Bloodlines. The studio is also generating buzz with two key contenders in this year’s Oscars race, further cementing its position in a rapidly evolving market.
However, critical reception for Fennell’s Wuthering Heights has been mixed, currently holding a 63% rating on Rotten Tomatoes. Despite this, audience enthusiasm remains high, though only 51% reported they would definitely recommend the film to friends, a sentiment reflected in its B CinemaScore rating. Paul Dergarabedian, a senior analyst for Comscore, described the box office results as solid, although not groundbreaking, pointing out that the absence of a major Marvel Cinematic Universe release made this outcome predictable.
In the North American box office rankings, the animated film GOAT, produced by basketball star Stephen Curry, took second place with an estimated $26 million from 3,863 locations. It is projected to earn an additional $6 million on Monday, potentially bringing its four-day cumulative total to $32 million—the highest animated debut since Elemental in 2023.
Completing the top three, Crime 101, starring Chris Hemsworth and Mark Ruffalo, earned approximately $15.1 million in its opening weekend, with expectations of reaching $17.8 million by Monday. However, it will need to gain traction to match its production budget, which is believed to exceed $90 million.
Notably, Walt Disney Studios marked a major milestone, becoming the first studio to surpass $1 billion in global box office earnings for 2026, propelled largely by the success of Avatar: Fire and Ash and supported by the enduring performance of Zootopia 2.
Final box office figures for the North American market will provide a clearer picture of this weekend’s performance when released on Tuesday.